Electronic mail distribution system for integrated electronic communications

ABSTRACT

A system is disclosed for integrated electronic mail, voice mail, and fax mail messaging. A common message format is defined for use by an electronic mail service and a telecommunications service so electronic mail messages that may include voice and fax mail attachments may be exchanged between the services. Message senders and receivers may choose from a variety of filter and forward options that allow them to manage their communications and specify a preference for receiving messages at the electronic mail or telecommunications service. Forwarding and conversion of messages is performed automatically. The options are used to define a set of rules to be applied to inbound and outbound messages so that messages are sent and received in accordance with the preferences of the senders and receivers.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/050,754 filed Jan. 16, 2002 entitled ELECTRONIC MAIL DISTRIBUTIONSYSTEM FOR INTEGRATED ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION, (insert applicationstatus), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/431,338 filed Oct. 29, 1999 entitled ELECTRONIC MAIL DISTRIBUTIONSYSTEM FOR INTEGRATED ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION, now abandoned, which isa continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/877,614 filed Jun.17, 1997 entitled ELECTRONIC MAIL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM FOR INTEGRATEDELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,023,700 issued Feb. 8,2000.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to communication technologiessuch as electronic mail (e-mail), voice mail, and facsimile (fax) mailmessaging. Particularly, the present invention relates to an electronicmail gateway for integrating communications to facilitate access toelectronic mail, voice mail, and fax mail messages.

2. Description of the Related Art

Communications technology today allows individuals to send messages toone another from virtually any location in the world at virtually anytime of day. The variety of communication modes (e.g., telephone,computer) and communication media (e.g., e-mail, voice mail, fax mail)available today allows individuals to choose one appropriate for thecircumstances.

In general, message senders today may select from a variety ofcommunication media while message receivers are limited to the optionselected by the message sender. If the sender uses the telephone toleave a voice mail message, the message receiver is required use atelephone to retrieve the voice mail message. If the sender uses acomputer to send an e-mail message, the message receiver is required touse a computer to retrieve the e-mail message. Some days, the messagereceiver may be unable to retrieve a message because the availablecommunication mode may not be used to retrieve the message. In otherinstances, even if a message receiver has access to a telephone, acomputer, or some other communication device, the receiver may preferusing one device over the others. For example, the receiver may spendmost of his working day on a computer and may therefore, prefer toretrieve all of his inbound messages—regardless of the originatingcommunication medium—using his computer.

The inability to alter the message medium after a message has been sent(or to use a communication mode other than the one selected by thesender) unnecessarily burdens both message senders and messagereceivers. Senders and receivers may be required to select a mediumprior to communicating so the parties are assured the communication willbe received in a timely manner. If circumstances for the receiver changeat any point following selection of the medium and the receiver isunable to notify the sender of the change, the receiver may risk missingthe sender's communication because the message may not be accessibleusing an alternate communication mode. In addition, the inability of amessage receiver to retrieve all inbound messages using a singlecommunication mode or device results in additional burdens. Receiversare inconvenienced when they are required to switch, for example,between the telephone to retrieve voice mail messages and the computerto retrieve e-mail messages.

Technologies have been introduced that address the inconveniencesimposed by widespread use of different messaging media. For example,Text-To-Speech (TTS) technology allows electronic text messages to beheard by a message receiver. However, message receivers are generallyrequired to integrate this technology into their own customizedtelecommunications/computer environments. Messages in differing media(e.g., e-mail, voice mail, fax mail) have not been seamlessly integratedso a message receiver may simply choose a preferred messaging medium andhave all incoming or inbound messages processed accordingly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention addresses the limitations in currentcommunications technology that require receivers to retrieve messages inaccordance with a predetermined communication medium or in accordancewith the communication mode selected by senders. The present inventionis a seamlessly integrated communications system that combines e-mail,voice mail, and fax mail messaging. The cross-media messaging system ofthe present invention allows messages to be exchanged between electronicmail and telecommunications service providers so all inboundmessages—regardless of the originating communication medium—may beretrieved by a message receiver using a telephone or computer.

The present invention is an electronic mail gateway that allowselectronic messages to be exchanged between an electronic mail serviceand a telecommunications service. Messages forwarded from the electronicmail service to the telecommunications service may be retrieved using atelephone. Using a standard telephone, receivers may listen to voicemail messages, redirect fax mail to a fax machine, or “listen” to e-mailmessages that originated as text messages and have been forwarded froman electronic mail service to a telecommunications service switch.Messages may also be forwarded from the telecommunications service tothe electronic mail service. Using a computer and modem, users mayplayback voice mail messages, view fax mail messages, or read e-mailmessages that originated as voice or fax messages. Messages and/ormessage attachments which are exchanged using electronic mail messagingtechnology are automatically reformatted or converted into theappropriate format (e.g., xing protocol, TIFF format.) Messagereformatting or conversion is performed automatically at atelecommunications or electronic mail service provider that deliversinbound messages so message receivers need only specify a preferredcommunication medium to take advantage of the features and functionalityof the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a system organization diagram of the primary components for apreferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of the primary steps of the present invention;and

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic representation of a common message format for apreferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

The present invention is a sophisticated computer system thatfacilitates communications between senders and receivers of e-mail,voice mail, and fax mail messages. The system is comprised of acollection of application programs and services hosted on differentcomputers (or servers) and various devices that are interconnected by aninfrastructure or gateway that supports electronic mail communicationsbetween the participating entities. In a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, the application programs and services as well as thesupporting hardware components of the present invention may be developedand maintained by different service providers who cooperate with oneanother to provide the features and functionality of the presentinvention. Using this arrangement, each service provider may focus onthe development of technology suited to its particular area ofexpertise. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, thefeatures and functionality may be developed and maintained by a singleservice provider or access service. The service provider or accessservice on which the message receiver relies for delivery of voice mail,e-mail, and fax mail messages knows the receiver's preferences asdefined in a set of rules stored in a message receiver or user profiledatabase so all messages may be delivered to the receiver in accordancewith his or her preferences. The ability to exchange electronic messagesbetween service providers based on rules defined in accordance with userpreferences is unique to the present invention.

The present invention offers a variety of features to both “senders” and“receivers” of messages. Senders are users who address communications tomessage receivers. Senders use a particular communication mode (e.g.,telephone, computer/modem) to send messages. Initially, messages arerouted to and stored in a mailbox compatible with the sender'scommunication mode/medium. For example, messages sent via the telephonemay be stored in a voice mailbox. Messages sent via a computer and modemmay be stored in an electronic mailbox.

Receivers are the users to whom the individual voice mail, fax mail, ande-mail messages are addressed. Receivers are, preferably, subscribers orusers of the telecommunications and/or electronic mail service.Electronic mail services may be provided by an online informationservice such as the CompuServe Information Service. An onlineinformation service such as the CompuServe Information Service mayprovide Internet access and access to proprietary databases in additionto providing electronic mail services. The information service may becomprised of large number of network nodes or servers that locatedthroughout the world and that are capable of communicating with eachother in order to create a global network.

Connection software provided by the electronic mail service allowsmessage receivers to connect to and communicate with the service.Preferably, the connection software is embodied in a graphical userinterface that allows users to interact with the service using graphicaldisplays and a pointing device such as a mouse. CompuServe's WinCIMVersion 3.0 is an example of connection software that supports access toand interaction with an electronic mail service. To communicate with theservice, a subscriber or user establishes a connection with one of thenodes or servers that belongs to the information service.

In addition to providing access to and interacting with an electronicmail service, the connection software allows a user to define rules orfilter and forward instructions for managing incoming (inbound) andoutgoing (outbound) messages. In addition to other rules or filter andforward instructions, a message receiver may indicate a preferredcommunication medium by selecting options that define one or more rulesto be applied automatically by an electronic mail service provider toinbound messages. For example, a receiver may, by selecting certainoptions, define a rule to request that messages initiated via thetelephone be stored in a voice mailbox and forwarded to an e-mailmailbox for later viewing. Alternatively, a receiver may, by selectingcertain options, define a rule to request that messages initiated via acomputer/modem (i.e., e-mail messages) be stored in an e-mail mailboxand forwarded to a voice mailbox for later retrieval.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a message receiver mayinteract with a telephone voice response unit to select options thatdefine rules to be applied to incoming voice and fax mail messages. Therules may be stored in a database at the telecommunications service andapplied to incoming messages.

As may be apparent, user preferences may be selected and stored in adatabase at either the electronic mail service or the telecommunicationsservice. As messages addressed to the receiver arrive at thetelecommunications or electronic mail service (either of whichfacilitates delivery of the message), the receiver's rules are appliedby an electronic mail distributor or other message distributor so allforwarding and conversion of messages (if necessary) may be performedautomatically. The receiver then uses the appropriate communication mode(e.g., telephone, computer) to retrieve the inbound messages. Forexample, a receiver may dial into a voice mailbox with a standardtelephone and listen to voice mail messages, redirect fax mail to alocal fax machine, or “listen” to e-mail messages. Alternatively, a usermay dial into an e-mail mailbox with a computer and playback voice mailmessages, view fax mail messages, and read e-mail messages.

Referring to FIG. 1, the present invention is an electronic mail gatewaythat facilitates the exchange of electronic messages between anelectronic mail service 10 and a telecommunications service 12 tosupport cross-media messaging. Messages are exchanged according to acommon message format. In a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, messages between the electronic mail service 10 andtelecommunications service 12 are electronic mail messages that mayinclude voice mail or fax mail attachments. Messages are exchangedbetween the services based on preferences of users of the system. In apreferred embodiment of the present invention in which electronic mailmessages are forwarded to a telecommunications service, an electronicmail distributor 14 located at the electronic mail service 10 examinesan incoming message 16 from a user (i.e., message sender) 18 of theelectronic mail service 10 who may use dial-up access 20 to send amessage to another user (i.e., message receiver) of the service.Alternatively, incoming messages 16 may be forwarded to the service fromanother electronic mail service or the Internet. The electronic maildistributor 14 which, preferably, is an application program thatoperates on a server located at the electronic mail service determinesthe receiver of the message and accesses a Message Receiver ProfileDatabase 22 to determine whether the receiver of the message has rule 24in his or her profile that indicates the message receiver would like themessage to be forwarded to the telecommunications service 12 for laterretrieval via the telephone. If the receiver has specified a preference(via a rule in his or her message receiver profile) for receivingincoming messages at the telecommunications service 12, the incomingmessage 16 is modified by the electronic mail distributor 14 to includetelecommunications service routing information 26. Thetelecommunications service routing information is preferably stored in aTelecommunications Service Routing Information Database 28 which isaccessible by the electronic mail distributor 14. For example,information may be stored in service name-routing information pairswithin the database 28. A message receiver's profile may include thename of a telecommunications to which electronic mail messages are to beforwarded. The Telecommunications Service Routing Information Database28 may include the service name-routing information pair so that thedistributor may perform a look-up in the database based on the servicename found in the message receiver's profile 22.

The modified electronic message 30 is then forward by the electronicmail distributor 14 to an electronic mailbox 34 in communication with anelectronic mail service network node 32 at the electronic mail service10 and that has been created specifically for the telecommunicationsservice 12. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, anelectronic mail service network node 38 located at thetelecommunications service 12 periodically polls the electronic mailservice network node 32 at the electronic mail service 10 to determinewhether the telecommunications service mailbox 34 contains any modifiedmessages to be forwarded to the telecommunications service 12. Thepolling operation and the exchange of messages between the services,preferably, is performed using an X.25 link 36 that has been establishedbetween the services. Modified messages 30 from the telecommunicationsservice mailbox 34 may then be transmitted from the electronic mailservice network node at the electronic mail service 32 via the X.25 link36 to the electronic service network node at the telecommunicationsservice 38.

Once at the telecommunications service 12, the incoming messages areexamined to identify the individual message receivers. Each messagereceiver's personal messages may then be stored in an electronic mailbox40 located at the electronic mail service network node 38. A message maythen be made available through the telephone switch 46 at thetelecommunications service 12 and the message 30 may be retrieved by amessage receiver via the telephone. When the message receiver calls thetelephone switch 46 to retrieve a message, the telephone switch 46communicates with the electronic mail service network node 38 via aswitch node 44 connected via a local area network 42. A text-to-speechoperation performed at the telecommunications service allows theelectronic mail message to be heard by the message receiver when he orshe calls the switch to hear the message. Alternatively, the messagereceiver may arrange to receive the electronic mail message at a faxmachine specified by the receiver.

Alternatively, if the message receiver does not specify a preference forreceiving the incoming message at the telecommunications service, theelectronic mail distributor 14 based on other preferences or actions ofthe message receiver may forward the electronic message 16 to thereceiver's mailbox 48 at the electronic mail service 10 or to one ormore electronic mailboxes 50 designated for use by other members of theelectronic mail service 10. Finally, the message 16 may be forwarded toInternet or another electronic mail service 52.

Referring to FIG. 2, a flow chart of the primary steps of the presentinvention is shown for a preferred embodiment of the present inventionin which electronic mail messages are forwarded from an electronic mailservice to a telecommunications service. The steps or operations shownin FIG. 2, preferably, are performed by the electronic mail distributorof the present invention. When the electronic mail distributor receivesan incoming message, it first examines the message receiver preferencesor filter and forward instructions as defined in the message receiver'sprofile stored in the message receiver profile database 60. Preferably,the incoming message is comprised of a message header that includes anidentifier for the message receiver or recipient and text for themessage. The electronic mail distributor may then lookup the receiver'sprofile based on the identifier in the header of the message. In thenext step, the electronic mail distributor determines, based oninformation or instructions stored in the profile, whether the messagereceiver wants the electronic mail message to be forwarded to thetelecommunications service 62. If the message receiver does not want theelectronic mail message to be forwarded to the telecommunicationsswitch, the electronic mail distributor arranges to forward the messageto the message receiver's mailbox located at the electronic mailservice, to other service subscribers, or to the Internet or anotherelectronic mail service 64. If the message receiver wants the electronicmail message to be forwarded to the telecommunications switch, theelectronic mail distributor modifies the message to include routinginformation for the telecommunications service electronic mailboxlocated at the electronic mail service 66. The message is then forwardedto the telecommunications service mailbox 68. Once at thetelecommunications service mailbox, messages stored in the mailbox aresent to the electronic mail service network node located at thetelecommunications service when the electronic mail service network nodelocated at the telecommunications service polls the mailbox 70. Once atthe telecommunications service, the message receiver may retrieve themessage via the telephone.

Referring to FIG. 3, a common message format for messages exchangedbetween the electronic mail service and telecommunications service isshown. Preferably, the message is comprised of an envelope 80 and a body82. The body of the common message format is preferably the originalmessage sent by the message sender. The original message is preferablycomprised in part of a message header 84 that identifies the subject ofthe original message, the recipient of the original message, the senderof the original message, and the date and time the original message wassent. The original message also contains the text of the originalmessage 86. In the common message format, the envelope 80, preferably,is comprised of a message header 88 that includes several fields withinformation that allow the message to be processed at either thetelecommunications service or the electronic mail service. A first field90 may identify the telecommunications or electronic mail serviceprovider to which the message may be forwarded. The message header ofthe envelope 88 may also include a field with a subject line 92 thatrefers to the telecommunications or electronic mail service as well as afield with the date and time the original message was modified 94.Finally, the message header of the envelope 88 may include a field thatidentifies the message sender 96 as the telecommunications or electronicmail service rather than the original message sender.

Modifying the original message to include an new envelope allowselectronic messages to be exchanged between an electronic mail serviceand a telecommunications service. Messages are exchanged betweenmailboxes designated for use by the services. One or more distributorslocated at each service route electronic messages to a centralrepository for the service so they may be exchanged between theservices. After messages arrive at the designated service, they may besent to and stored in mailboxes associated with individual messagereceivers for later retrieval by the message receivers. Upon retrievalmessages may be converted as needed by additional equipment located atthe service and/or at the message receiver's site.

The common message format and the use of the central message repositoryfor each service facilitates the exchange of messages between theelectronic mail service and the telecommunications service. The commonformat is based on known e-mail formats so that messages may beforwarded from the electronic mail service to the telecommunicationsservice, and vice-versa, using standard electronic mail protocols. Usingthis approach, the telecommunications service appears to the electronicmail service to be part of the electronic mail service global networkand another member of the service to whom messages may be forwarded. Thetelecommunications service may accept all types of messages, includingmultipart and binary messages, that the electronic mail service iscapable of processing. For example, messages processed by the electronicmail service and consequently, the telecommunications service, mayinclude attachments such as voice mail attachments (e.g., xing protocol)and fax mail attachments (e.g., TIFF files). The equipment at thetelecommunications service may then be adapted to understand the commonmessage format so that electronic mail messages comprised originally oftext may be processed at the telecommunications switch. For example, theoriginal text may be converted through a text-to-speech process so thata message receiver may hear the original message over the telephone. Theoriginal text may also be converted to a TIFF image so that the messagemay be processed through a fax machine.

Using the common message format approach, the telecommunications serviceappears to the electronic mail service to be another electronic mailservice from which electronic mail messages also may be received. Voicemail messages that originate at the telecommunications service may beforwarded to the electronic mail service in accordance with anelectronic mail message that has an attached audio file containing theoriginal voice mail message. Computer users may then use connectionsoftware to retrieve electronic mail messages including those electronicmail messages associated with audio files. The connection software,which may be equipped with an audio file player, may then, at the user'srequest, play the voice mail message for the computer user.Alternatively, fax mail messages that originate at thetelecommunications service may be forwarded to the electronic mailservice in accordance with an electronic mail message that has anattached TIFF file containing the original fax mail message. Computerusers may then use connection software to retrieve electronic mailmessages including those electronic mail messages associated with faxfiles. The fax file may be viewed using a fax viewer provided with theconnection software.

Although the invention is described in detail with specific reference toa single preferred embodiment and certain alternatives, it is notlimited to that particular embodiment or alternative. For example, theconfiguration of the components that provide the features andfunctionality of the present invention may change and fall within thescope and spirit of the present invention. The scope of the presentinvention is defined by the following claims.

1. An electronic communications system including an electronic mailgateway for facilitating cross-media messaging between an electronicmail messaging system and a telecommunications switch, comprising: afirst telephone number associated with a first user of the electroniccommunications system to which incoming voice calls are directed via thetelecommunications switch; a second telephone number associated with thefirst user for retrieval of voicemail messages; a first host computer incommunication with the telecommunications switch for storing a voicemailmessage from a first incoming voice call and for generating a firstelectronic mail message with an attachment comprising the voicemailmessage, the first host computer also in communication with theelectronic mail messaging system; a second host computer incommunication with the electronic mail messaging system for receivingfrom the first host computer the first electronic mail message with thevoicemail attachment containing the voicemail message; and a retrievalmechanism for allowing the first user to retrieve the voicemail messageeither by calling the second telephone number via the telecommunicationsswitch, or by receiving from the second host computer the firstelectronic mail message with the voicemail attachment.
 2. The system ofclaim 1 wherein the first host computer forwards the first electronicmail message to the electronic mail messaging system according toservice routing information stored in a service routing informationdatabase.
 3. The system of claim 1 wherein the first host computerforwards the first electronic mail message to the electronic mailmessaging system according to a message receiver profile for the firstuser.
 4. The system of claim 3 wherein the message receiver profile forthe first user comprises a name for the electronic mail messagingsystem.
 5. An electronic communications system including an electronicmail gateway for facilitating cross-media messaging between anelectronic mail messaging system and a telecommunications switch,comprising: a first telephone number associated with a first user of theelectronic communications system to which incoming faxes are directedvia the telecommunications switch; a first host computer incommunication with the telecommunications switch for storing a firstincoming fax message and for generating a first electronic mail messagewith an attachment comprising the fax message, the first host computeralso in communication with the electronic mail messaging system; asecond host computer in communication with the electronic mail messagingsystem for receiving from the first host computer the first electronicmail message with the fax attachment containing the fax message; and aretrieval mechanism for allowing the first user to retrieve from thesecond host computer the first electronic mail message with the faxattachment.
 6. The system of claim 5 wherein the first host computerforwards the first electronic mail message to the electronic mailmessaging system according to service routing information stored in aservice routing information database.
 7. The system of claim 5 whereinthe first host computer forwards the first electronic mail message tothe electronic mail messaging system according to a message receiverprofile for the first user.
 8. The system of claim 7 wherein the messagereceiver profile for the first user comprises a name for the electronicmail messaging system.
 9. A method for distributing electronic mailmessages received at an electronic mail service comprising: a) receivingat an electronic mail distributor at the electronic mail service anincoming electronic mail message; b) determining a message receiver forthe electronic mail message; c) retrieving from a message receiverprofile database rules defined by the message receiver for processingthe electronic mail message; d) examining the rules defined by themessage receiver to determine if the message receiver has specified apreference to receive the electronic mail message at atelecommunications service; and e) if the message receiver has specifieda preference to receive the electronic mail message at atelecommunications service: i. determining the message receiver'spreferred telecommunications service; ii. modifying the electronic mailmessage to include routing information for the message receiver'spreferred telecommunications service; and iii. forwarding the electronicmail message to the message receiver's preferred telecommunicationsservice.
 10. The method of claim 9 wherein forwarding the electronicmail message to the message receiver's preferred telecommunicationsservice comprises forwarding the electronic mail message to atelecommunications service mailbox.
 11. The method of claim 10 furthercomprising forwarding the electronic mail message from thetelecommunications service mailbox to an electronic mail service networknode at the telecommunications service.
 12. The method of claim 11further comprising allowing the message receiver to retrieve theelectronic mail message via a telephone.
 13. The method of claim 12wherein allowing the message receiver to retrieve the electronic mailmessage via a telephone comprises allowing the message receiver to callthe telecommunications service and to request access to the electronicmail message wherein a text-to-speech operation is performed on theelectronic mail message so the message receive may hear the message.